Art of drawing metal



(No Model.)

G. C. REESB.

ART 0F DRAWING METAL.

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NITED SAES GEORGE C. REESE, OF IVOODVALE, PENNSYLVANIA.

ART OF DRAWING METAL..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 342,040, dated May 18,1886.

Application filed September 15, 188B. Serial No. 106,597. (No model.)

section, of an improved apparatus adapted to the use of my invention.plan view of the same.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts wherever they occur.

My invention consists, first, in a new and useful process for drawingwire; and, secondly, in mechanism adapted to the use of said process.

The object of the invention is to substitute a simple, cheap, rapid, andefficient mode of drawing in place of the slow, tedious, laborious, andcostly method heretofore in use.

In the manufacture of wire by the method heretofore in use, the materialis subjected repeatedly to a series of reducing, annealing, and scalingoperations before it can be brought down to the gage desired. Thereducing operation is performed by pulling the metal throughdraw-plates, which generally effect a reduction of about two gages toeach draw. This reducing action renders the material hard, brittle,highly elastic, and destroys its Fig. 2 indicates a duetility; henceitmustbe annealed frequently between the reducing operations. In annealinga coating of scale forms upon the blank, and it is necessary to removethis by pickling the material in acid previous to subjecting it to thesucceeding drawing operation. The scale is thicker, tougher, moretenacious, and more difficult to remove at some than at other portionsof the blanks. Therefore the acid acts nnequally, the metal is lost byundue oxidation by the acid, and the wire, after pickling, frequentlyretains in different places particles ofhard tenacious scale. Theseparticles of scale cut and score the draw-plate during the succeedingdrawing operation, enlarging its aperture, so that less reduction takesplace in the portion of the coil or hank drawn through after suchenlargement has taken place. This diiference in diameter causes serioustrouble in the succeeding drawing operation, for the wire passes throughthe drawplate readilyfuntil the part 4where such enlargement has takenplace is reached, when the extra tension on the metal in the endeavor todraw the latter through the draw-plate fre* quently breaks the wire, orthe friction and action of the metal upon the draw-plate becomesexcessive and the latter cannot retain and properly exercise itsfunctions; hence it follows that very frequent renewals and repairs ofthe draw-plates are necessary.

The iirst cost of the draw-plates and the cost of their repair, togetherwith the cost of acid, time, labor, and loss of metal in picklingconstitute a large portion of the expenses incident to the manufactureof wire, and I therefore purpose to dispense entirely with the drawplateand pickling in the use of myinvention; and I do this by subjecting theblank without compression to a traveling tension, which gradually passesfrom one to the other end of the wire-blank, and I also regulate thistension so that rupture of the wire cannot take place.

I shall now describe the best means known to me for carrying out myimprovement, so that others skilled in the art may make and use thesame.

In the drawings, Figs. l and 2 illustrate the machine I employ incarrying my improvement into practical use.

A A indicate the legs, and A indicates the top of the stand in which thedrawing mechanism is mounted.

B indicates the power-pulley mounted on the driving-shaft B', which isprovided with three beveled gear-wheels, B, B, and B4, andA is suitablyjournaled in the legs A A ofthe drawing-table.

C indicates asmall beveled gear-wheel, which meshes into the beveledgear-wheel B, and is mounted on the lower end of a vertical pulleyshaft,C. This vertical pulley-shaft C is journaled in a heavy bearing, C2,upon the upper part of the table, and is provided with a drawing-pulley,E, securely attached thereto, and held in position by means of a nut, e,which is screwed on the upper end of the pulleyshaft C. i

I) indicates a small gear-wheel mounted upon the pulley-shaft C', andmeshes into and communicates motion to a similar gear-wheel, D2, mountedupon the lower end of a supplemental pulley-driving shaft, which is alsojournaled IOO .in the heavy bearing C2, and is provided with adrawing-pulley, E, slightly larger in diameter than the pulley E on theshaft C. This pulley E is keyed into the shaft C2, and is held intoposition by a nut, e', screwed upon the top of the latter.

F and Findicate a set of beveled gear-wheels, which mesh, respectively,into the gear-wheels B2 and B, and are mounted upon a set of verticalshafts, F2 and F2, which are suitably journaled in the top of the table.These vertical shafts F2 and F3 are provided with flanges F4 and F5,securely attached to them and extending out horizontally just abovetheir journalbearings in the top of the table.

G and G indicate a set of ceiling-drums, which slip down loosely overthe shafts F2 and F3, and rest at their bases on the ianges F* and F5.

G2 and Ga indicate a set of spiral springs inserted over the upper endof the shafts F2 and F, and bearing, respectively, upon the upper endsor heads of the drums G and G', so as to press the latter down on theflanges F and F5. These springs are secured in position and theirtension upon the drums is regulated by means of the nuts H and H', whichare screwed on the ends of the shafts F2 and Fi.

The operation of the mechanism is as ftllows: Power is applied to thepulley B, causing it, the main shaft B', and the beveled gearwheels B2,B3, andB'i to rotate iu unison. The gear-wheel B3 communicates a rapidmotion to l the small gear-wheel C and to its shaft and roll, and thisrapid movement is transmitted through the gears D D2 to the supplementalshaft and pulley, causing the latter (as it has a larger diameter) totravel at aslightly faster surface speed than that of the oppositepulley. The gear-wheels B2 and B4 communicate their motion to thevertical shafts F3 and F* through the medium of the gears F and F2, andthis rot-ary motion is also partaken of by the drums G and G on accountof the friction between their bases and faces of the flanges F and F',against which they are pressed by the action of the springs G2 and G.

llhe operation of the improvement is as follows: The wire blank having`been coiled up around the drum G, the latter is inserted on its shaft,and its spring is screwed down to force it with the desired pressureagainst theflange F. A portion of the wire is then wrapped rst aroundthe small pulley and then around the larger pulley, and the end isfastened tothe opposite receiving-drum, asindicated in Fig. 2. Power isthen applied to the machine and the drawing operation commences. Thedelivering-drum G, being held by its spring against t-he flange F, iscaused to rotate by the friction,and delivers the wire to the smallpulley E, which, by its rotary motion, delivers it to the larger pulley,E', but at aslower rate of speed than the surface of the latter istraveling, so that the wire is put under tension during its passage fromthe small to the large pulley, and is thereby reduced in diameter, forthe large pulley draws the metal to it at a faster speed than it isdelivered by the small pulley. rlhe reduced metal then passes to thereceiving-drum and coils up gradually until the first drawing operationis ended. As soon as all the wire is coiled up the drums or spools areremoved from their shafts and exchanged, and the drawing operation isagain continued.

lt will be observed, first, that both the delivering and receiving drumsare run by friction, and, second, that the shaft upon which thereceivingdrum rests is geared to travel at a little faster speed thanthe shaft onwhich the delivering drum rests. The objects of thesearrangements are- First, I want to deliver the wire with but little jaror shock to the first pulley, and therefore have geared the shaft uponwhich the deliveri-ngdrum rests so that in starting the wire will bedelivered at about the speed that the receiving-pulley travels. Ofcourse the tendency of thev wire is to feed slower and slower as itunw'inds and as the coil grows smaller in diameter, and as -the drum isnot attached to the shaft, but merely rests upon a frictional bearing, aslight strain upon thcwire by the receiving-pulley gradually acceleratesthe speed of the drum and draws the wire to the receiving-pulley at auniform rate of speed. The arrangement in this instance is merely torelieve the wire from j ar in starting. Otherwise itis not necessary togear,the shaft Fat all, as the receiving-pulley would unwind theWirefrom the drum by rotating the latter if the shaft were stationary.

Second. The receiving-drum G rests upon a frictional bearing, which hasa tendency to rotate the drum at the desired speed to take up the wireas it leaves the delivering-pulley; but as the wireis coiled on the drumtheincreased diameter thereof would result in increased tension on thewire were this not counteracted by the slip of the drum on its-shaft.

From the foregoing description it will be observed that my method ofdrawing consists in reducing the diameter or cross-sectional area of themetal by subjecting it to tension without compression while passing fromone pulley to the other. The `method is not, strictly speaking, a merewire-drawing operation, as lit is apparent it might be applied to.drawing heavier materials.

The rationale of the improvement is: I subject the metal while passingfrom one to another pulley to a tensile strain beyond its elastic limit.This causes a certain per centage of elongation, a permanent set isproduced, and a reduction of the diameter is secured, and as all of themetal,except a short piece of each end, passes through during theoperation, the strain is'brought gradually upon it and travels over allportions, except those at the ends, which do not pass between thepulleys, so that a uniform reduction of diameter is secured.

From an analysis of the foregoing descrip- IOO tion it will be observedthat the method enr braces the following essentials: First, the metalmust be made to bind on the rst or slow roll or pulley, and this can bedone either by means of a reel or equivalent device which will supply amoving tension between the feed and first roll or pulley, or by windingthe metal around the roll sufficiently to obtain the drag or bindingeffect; secondly, the metal must be drawn while crossing the spacebetween the rolls or pulleys, and this can be done by speeding up thesecond roll or pulley, or by increasing its diameter, so as to obtain agreater surface speed; finally, the metal must bind on the Second rollor pulley, and this can be done, as inthe lirst instance, by winding themetal several times around the second roll or pulley or by the use of areceiving-reel. The amount of reduction at each pass will depend uponthe difference in the surface-speed of the pulleys and the character ofthe metal, and this difference in surfacespeed may be greater orless,according to the greater or less degree of extension before rupturepossessed by the different qualities of metal operated upon.

rlhe different surface-speed of the pulleys required may be obtained inany of the wellknown ways for producing the result-such as varying therelative sizes of the rolls or of their driving-gearing, or grooves ofdifferent diametersnnay be provided in the same pulley.

By an inspection of Fig. l of the drawings it will be noticed that Ihave shown two pulleys having three grooves of equal depth turned inupon their surfaces. The object of this is to enable me to draw threewires uni-` formly at the same time, the operation being the same asthat I have previously described, except three coils of wire blank arecoiled up around the drum G, or around it .and a couple of similarspools or drums, (not showin) then wrapped around the pulleys in theirgrooves, and attached at the ends to the receiving drinn or drums. Itwill be readily understood without further description that the pulleysmay be provided with anydesired number of such grooves, that acorresponding number of wires may be wrapped therein, and that acorresponding number of sets of drums or spools being used all the wiresmay be drawn uniformly at one and the Sametime if such a mode ofprocedure is deemed advisable. v

My improvement will bepartieularly adapted y for the manufacture of finewire, such as is largely in use for flour-bolts, &e. At present themanufacture of such wire is attended with great expense, and the drawingoperations are extremely slow, numerous, and tedious. As before stated,when wire is drawn through dies it becomes hard, elastic, and highlybrit tle, and therefore requires frequent annealing to restore the metalto its normal condition previous to being subjected to some of thedrawing operations. This is done, and the material is then pickled toremove the scale;

but after the blank has become drawn downto about No. 18 or 20wire-gage, the annealing and pickling must be dispensed with, becausethe acid used in the latter would corrode and weaken it. Consequentlythis fine wire cannot be annealed, and grows harder and harder and moreand more brittle at each successive drawing operation, so that it mustbe drawn less and less at each time the operation is continued, and theiinal Agage is obtained only after the expenditure of great time, care,labor, and expense. In the use of my invention, however, I can amicalthe metal at any time, as I do not have to remove the scale, andconsequently can work fast on fine wire and pro- ,duce it at a very lowcost.

In the use of my improvement I can dispense with pickling and therebysave the cost of acids, the., and the waste of metal which takes placein such an operation..

My rolls may be driven at a very high rate of speed and a large increaseof product obtained.

I do not herein claim a process of wiredrawing in which the metal isreduced by the combined compressing action of reducingdies and atraveling tension beyond the elastic limit ofthe metal; but

l. rIhe method of extending and reducing metal, which consists indrawing it progressively from and over one roll or pulley to and overanother roll or pulley, the surface-speed of the second exceeding thatof the iirst, and the metal being held or retarded in its passage overthe rolls or pulleys so as to bind thereon, whereby the greater speed ofthe second shall elongate it and reduce its cross-sectional area as itcrosses from one roll or pulley to the other, substantially as and forthe purposes specified. p

2. In a machine for drawing metals, the combination of twotension-pulleys geared to move at different surface-speed, and deliveryand receiving drums with devices for regulating the speed of said drumsto keep taut the portions of the metal between the tension-pulleys andtheir respective drums, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. A machine for drawing metal, provided with tension-pulleys arrangedto run at different rates of surface-speed, and a ceiling drum or spoolmounted on a frictional bearing, substantially as and for the purposesspecified.

4. A machine for drawing metal, having tension-pulleys arranged totravel at different rates of surface-speed, a ceiling drum or spoolmounted on a frictional bearing, and devices for regulating the frictionbetween the drum and its bearing, substantially as and for the purposesspecified.

GEORGE G. REESEb Vitnesses:

WALTER Russin, JACOB REEsE.

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